Real Housewives of DC

Despite the show’s high ratings, Bravo has yet to announce a second season, though it is likely there will be a season two. This season has brought us a wedding and the birth of Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy‘s first child.

In tonight’s episode, as Bethenny (slowly but surely!) adjusts to motherhood, her emotions take over when she must leave Bryn overnight to head out of town on business. With her new priorities, Bethenny is in tears as she heads out the door, leaving Bryn and Jason back in NYC. Luckily, once she’s back the new family heads for a vacation out in Montauk. Bringing along the whole crew, the baby nurse, Julie and Max, the trip is off to a rocky start when Jason and Bethenny realize they’ve forgotten a place for Bryn to sleep, along with many other essential baby items.

In other Bethenny news, just a week after some of the Real Housewives of DCcalled Bethenny their role model, the Real Housewives of NYC star is dishing out some advice to the DC ladies.

When asked by the HollywoodLife what she would like to tell the DC ladies, Bethenny says: “Be true to yourselves and don’t manufacture who you want to be on the show” she advises. “It’s not fool’s gold — you don’t go on television to be rich, famous and successful . You have to have something to back it up.”

She also advises the ladies to keep their kids away from the cameras as much as possible: “Look at what happened in Jersey,” Bethenny said “I haven’t really been watching, but I hear one of the Jersey daughters [Ashley] is in a fight with one of the Housewives [Danielle].”

“I would say keep your kids out of it as much as possible,” Bethenny suggested. “You’ve got to be an adult and know how to deal with it.”

Bethenny also took the time to thank DC Housewives Stacie Turner and Mary Amons for referring to her as their role model. “I think it’s really nice that the D.C. housewives say I’m the housewife role model,” Bethenny said. “That’s flattering and so nice!”

TELL US: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE FINALE OF BETHENNY GETTING MARRIED? DO YOU WANT A SEASON TWO?

While the headline grabbing Real Housewives of DCdoesn’t debut for 2 more weeks on the Bravo network, the show’s stars have already began their press interviews.

Two of the show’s cast members, Mary Schmidt Amonsand Stacie Turner, recently did a phone conference interview and well, let’s just say they had some interesting things to say.

The HollywoodLife points out that both of the DC ladies had nothing but praises for Bethenny Frankel, who is by far the most successful and popular Bravo housewife.

“I have watched the New York and Atlanta Housewives,” said Stacie (pictured right), who owns her own real estate agency and is also married to a man named Jason. She added, “I relate to Bethenny the most because she’s an entrepreneur juggling a bunch of things like being a mom” and owning a business.”

Stacie’s cast-mate Mary also states she can relate to Bethenny the most. “It’s really hard to associate with the other casts,” Mary explains. But “the person I most identify with is the person who has been a very positive influence … [is] Bethenny!” She added, “I enjoyed watching her on this season [of the NY Housewives]. It’s been interesting to see how motherhood and marriage has changed her!”

The Washington Post also adds that during the conference call interview, Mary wanted to make certain that the show “is not all about the Salahis.“

“We spent five months together, and we spent a lot of time sharing our stories, and I think that the American public is going to be really interested and inspired by our stories,” she said, with the Post adding that she didn’t sound like someone too happy to be upstaged by Michaele Salahi.

And when it comes to the impact the party crashing incident had on the cast, Stacie stated: “It was so unbelievable because they’d been nothing but nice and normal around us,” adding, “things did change a little bit after that point… I was just shocked that anybody would have the gall to crash a party like that.”

Though the all new franchise of the Real Housewives of D.C. doesn’t premiere until August 5th, Bravo has released a sneak peek video giving us a taste of what is to come!

As we previously reported, the infamous White House party crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi will be a focal part of the show. The preview video also shows the Salahis as they prepare to crash attend the White House dinner.

Bravo has described the D.C. ladies as “connected D.C. power players,” who “have their pulse on the most important cultural events, political galas, gallery openings, and fundraisers in Washington society.”

And if you think Michaele is the only scandalous character on the show, you are surely mistaken. Introducing you to Catherine Ashley Ommanney(pictured far left), the mother of two sold a story to the British tabloids back in 2006 during which she claimed to have made out with a then 22-year-old Prince Harry. Catherine told the tabloids she was 34 at the time (2006) but multiple media outlets have her listed as being in her forties today.

It has also been reported Catherine and her husband Charles Ommanney have separated since the show stopped filming. Apparently doing the reality show put a strain on their marriage.

The Real Housewives of D.C., set to premiere August 5th, has already proven to be Bravo’s most controversial housewives franchise, though an episode has yet to air.

Bravo officially announced the cast of the DC housewives this week, and white house party crasher Michaele Salahi is part of the cast, but this isn’t exactly a shocker considering the DailyBeast revealed months ago that Michaele would indeed be on the show.

Joining Michaele on the reality show, from left to right (pictured above), are Catherine Ommanney, Stacie Turner, Mary Amons, and Lynda Erkiletian.

Bravo describes the DC ladies as “connected D.C. power players,” who “have their pulse on the most important cultural events, political galas, gallery openings, and fundraisers in Washington society.”

And as for the controversial decision to put Michaele Salahi on the show? Andy Cohenhad the following to say –

“We kept Michaele in the show because she has a compelling life story, distinct relationships with the other women, and most especially because she represents a very real example of the inextricably intertwined worlds of political connections with social hierarchy. To the people who might excoriate us and say we’re making Michaele famous or glorifying what she did: ‘here’s what’ — we don’t make shows to make people famous and as a corollary, we don’t view being on a television show either as a reward or a punishment. That’s up to the individuals who choose to do so and the people who choose to watch and react.”

Michaele and her husband Tareq Salahi were never charged or prosecuted by the white house though presidential Social Secretary Desiree Rogers did lose her job as a result of the incident.

The Photos and Bios of the Ladies Below –

Michaele Salahi, 44 – Even before the white house incident, Michaele and hubby Tareq were notorious for their flamboyant polo matches and a long-running family feud over their Oasis Winery in Fauquier County. Raised in Oakton, Michaele worked at Nordstrom before marrying Tareq in a splashy 2003 ceremony. Though she turned up with camera crews at Redskins cheerleader alumnae events, the organization denied she was a member. A lot of people are also claiming the Salahis owe them money.

According to the DailyBeast, all 12 episodes of the first season have been shot, including the one that shows the infamous party crash. And the DailyBeast confirms what we have suspected all along, that it would be practically impossible for Bravo to edit out the Salahis as they had been filming for months, before their infamous party crashing incident.

The DC series is expected to debut in July, right after the Real Housewives of New Jersey, and yes the Bravo cameras were on hand to capture the party crashing moment.

A source close to the series reveals that Bravo executives were more than relieved to learn the Salahis wouldn’t be prosecuted, though the incident did cause presidential Social Secretary Desiree Rogers to lose her job.

Bravo is apparently trying to keep this story under wraps for moment. The Salahis are however expected to do an interview with Today Show’s Matt Lauer on May 27.

TELL US – YAH OR NAY ON HAVING THE SALAHIS ON THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF DC?

Bravo made some major announcements this week about what is to come next season. The biggest announcement came in the form of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

There had been numerous rumblings and reports but Bravo has finally confirmed the Beverly Hills Housewives series will be the fifth spin-off based on the original “Real Housewives of Orange County.” No word yet on when the show will premier.

As for the cast, it has been reported Paris and Nicky Hilton’s aunts, Kim and Kyle Richards, have been cast. Kim and Kyle are sisters of Paris’s mom, Kathy Hilton. They are also former child stars. Restaurant owner Lisa Todd, who owns the swanky Villa Blanca restaurant in Beverly Hills has also reportedly been cast as a third housewife.

Real Housewives of Atlanta – Bravo also confirmed the return of the Atlanta housewives, more importantly they confirmed all five housewives will be returning. Kim Zolciak made recent headlines when she revealed she had yet to sign on for season 3. According to a report, the women will each receive $150,000 for their third season.

Real Housewives of D.C. – Notably absent from Bravo’s announcements were the Real Housewives of Washington D.C. which should have finished filming last year. If you recall, there was a big scandal with the White House party crashers, Michaeleand Tareq Salahi, who were part of the cast though Bravo officially said they were simply auditioning them to be on the show. Michaele and her husband had filmed for months with other women, so it would be pretty much impossible for Bravo to air the season without them.

We also reported that Bravo was polling viewers last December to gage their opinion on the two. Guess we will all have to wait a little bit more to see about the DC Housewives.

Just when you thought the infamous White House party crashers had faded into obscurity, comes news that they will be getting paid to host a party in Las Vegas this month.

TMZ is reporting that Tareq and Michaele Salahi are set to be the official hosts at Las Vegas’s Pure Nightclub on January 16. It gets worse as sources close to the situation confirm to TMZ the Salahis will be getting paid the amount of $5,000 as well as some other perks. The official party flyer is above.

Along with the $5,000 hosting fee, the couple will also be provided a limo, a free suite at Caesar’s Palace, dinner, and all sorts of comped booze.

When asked why the Salahis were chosen to host the party, Michael Gilmartin, public-relations director for the Pure Management Group, tells The Washington Post, “The Salahis met President Obama, and you can come to Pure and meet the Salahis. Everyone gets their 15 minutes, and people want to come to the club and rub up against that. They’ll go home and put it up on Facebook: ‘I got my picture with the Salahis!’ “

Yikes, so basically these people are getting rewarded for breaking the law? Bravo has also yet to decide on whether or not the Salahis will be included in the cast of The Real Housewives of D.C.

Though Bravo has continuously said the couple has simply been auditioning to be on the show, we previously reported that they have been filming for months with the other cast members. In simple terms, it would be pretty impossible to axe the Salahis out of the show at this point, and still have a show. Removing them from the show would likely mean having to begin filming all over again.

A new report now reveals that NBC Universal, the parent company of Bravo, has been polling consumers about perceptions of the infamous couple, who have been the subject of negative publicity since crashing President Obama’s first state dinner Nov. 24. It seems NBCU is trying to gauge consumer perceptions of the couple. The questions being asked include What are the first words that pop into your head when you think of the White House Gate Crashers story? and How did you feel about the amount and type of coverage the White House Gate Crashers story has received?

A previous report also revealed thatAndy Cohen, host and Senior Vice president of Original Programming of Bravo, and other Bravo execs were having 2nd thoughts, and wanted the Salahis removed from the show.

The Salahis are currently the subject of a federal investigation. A Congressional committee voted to subpoena the couple for a Janaury 20 hearing on Capitol Hill. Their lawyer has however said they will invoke their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Bravo began developing The Real Housewives of D.C. in May and officially ordered the fifth edition of its Real Housewives franchise in October. No word yet on whether or not the Salahis will be coming to a Bravo channel near you soon.

TELL US – SHOULD BRAVO AXE THE SALAHIS FROM THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF DC?